(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine and a facsimile, in which an image reading unit and an image recording unit main body are provided.
(b) Description of the Related Art
A multifunction peripheral such as a copying machine and a facsimile, in which the image reading unit and the image recording unit main body are provided, will be described as an example of the conventional image forming apparatus. A configuration of the conventional multifunction peripheral is shown below. A paper feed unit which feeds a recording material loaded in a cassette, an image forming unit which forms the image with a laser printer, a fixing device which fixes the image onto the recording material, and a discharge unit which discharges the recording material to the outside of the apparatus to stack the recording material are provided in a lower portion (image recording unit main body) of the image forming apparatus.
A flat-bed scanner which is of original reading means is provided in an upper portion (image reading unit) of the apparatus. The flat-bed scanner reads the image of an original loaded on a surface of an original plate by scanning a reading unit. An original conveying unit is provided in an end portion of the flat-bed scanner. The original conveying unit separates the plurality of originals set on a tray and reads the original while conveying the original.
Recently, in single-function printer products, a layout in which paper feed and conveying directions of the recording material becomes a depth direction of the apparatus is the mainstream. In the multifunction peripheral, the layout in which the paper feed and conveying directions of the recording material becomes the depth direction of the apparatus in the image recording unit main body of and the scanning direction of the original becomes a width direction of the apparatus (lateral direction) in the flat-bed scanner has been proposed as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-127443. That is, the multifunction peripheral is configured so that the paper feed and conveying directions of the recording material is orthogonal to the scanning direction of the original.
However, in the configuration of the image forming apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-127443, in the image recording unit main body in which the paper feed and conveying directions of the recording material is set in the depth direction of the apparatus relative to a front face of an operation unit, the recording material is set in a paper feed cassette so that a lengthwise direction of the recording material becomes the depth direction of the apparatus. Therefore, in an installation size of the image recording unit main body, the depth direction of the apparatus is longer and the width direction of the apparatus (lateral direction) is shorter relative to the operation unit.
On the other hand, in the flat-bed scanner, because the scanning direction of the original becomes the lateral direction relative to the front face of the operation unit of the apparatus, the original is set so that the lengthwise direction of the original on the surface of the original plate becomes the lateral direction of the apparatus. Therefore, the installation size of the flat-bed scanner, the width direction of the apparatus (lateral direction) is longer and the depth direction of the apparatus is shorter relative to the operation unit.
As a result, in the width direction of the apparatus (lateral direction), there is a problem that space efficiency is bad and an installation space is enlarged, because the flat-bed scanner is wider than the image recording unit main body and both sides of a recording material conveying path though which the recording material of the image recording unit main body is conveyed becomes a dead space. A length of a scanning direction capable of scanning image information of the image reading means is longer than a length of the sheet conveyed in the scanning direction
Further, in the conventional image forming apparatus, an electric board unit which controls the apparatus is provided forward of the side face of the apparatus. Therefore, there is the problem that the depth direction of the apparatus is expanded relative to the front face of the operation unit of the image recording unit main body.